I have officially quit from the farmstand.......I cannot deal one more day with the customers...this week, one was the catalyst for all this.
In a 3 hour period, she made SEVEN calls to our house (we don't have a phone at the farmstand, since we're there to work). I happened to be at the house for the 7th call:
She wanted to speak to the manager about some Honeycrisp apples she purchased (two half bushels) over two weeks ago. She refused to speak to me, so I told her the owner (Mr. Fabulous) was working at the farmstand that day, & that we were open until 5p.m. She responded with "Fine, I'll run down there". That was around 2:30 Friday afternoon.
She showed up at 4:50p.m. on Saturday, raising **bleep** because......there was 2 stinkbugs in her apples. She took a picture of one of the bugs on an apple....& brought ONE apple back with a hole less than 1/8" across (Mr. Fabulous measured it), wanting her $40 back. Made a big stink in front of the other customers about how she lived 2 hours away, how could we be such poor business people, etc. At that point, I went back into the cooler, because I was so mad at her acting like this in front of the other customers (in fact, she cut in front of one customer that was ready to checkout), I was ready to take it out to the parking lot.
(Mind you, when she called Friday afternoon she never mentioned that....just said "Fine, I'll run down there". Wouldn't that make you think she live in this area?) And the fact is...stinkbugs don't make that big a hole, it's more like the hole made from a straight pin. Mr. Fabulous said it looked more like the hole made when the stem on an apple pokes into another.
Then....it got even better.
Oh....she didn't bring the two half bushels of Honeycrisp back....just ONE apple....& wanted to be refunded $40. Then, while she was carping about how they weren't holding up....we found out that she did NOT put them in a cool place, or in the fridge....she left them in her garage. Which probably explains the stinkbugs, they are over most of lower Michigan. And since the weather has been in the low 70s....& Honeycrisp are not the best "long storage" apple unless you keep them at 34-35 degrees...of course some of them are having problems. That's why the sign with them says "keeps best when refrigerated".
What really **bleep** me off......HE went ahead & gave her back her money.....& she still gets the apples. Then, he doesn't even get her licence plate number, a name, anything. I'm willing to bet money she didn't even buy the apples from us, I would think we would remember someone spending $40 for Honeycrisp.
I guessing we will also have a bad review on something like Yelp.
And yet.....he can't figure out why I don't really want to do this anymore. I lost my temper up to the house & pointed out that "for someone who fought in a war, watched people die & had to pick up the remains, you sure acted like a **bleep** down at the stand".
I'm still ticked off at him over this.
Ah....the end of another "successful" season. Except.....
On 11/1, we have: a $9000 "final payment" on a loan that he took out for working capital to farm....that was never discussed with me before he did it.
$2000 "once a year" payment on life insurance. Accidental Death, of course.
$300 electric bill for the coolers at the farmstand (at least THAT will be ending soon. Will run one cooler into Nov. for anything left over, & the colder weather will keep the cost down).
$486 payment for the new tractor he just HAD to have....that's now sitting dead in the water due to a split fuel line.
Of course, it's raining like crazy....so no one wants to lay in a puddle trying to fix it.
One can only pile so much on....before the mule refuses to move.
P.S.: I don't really want the job back.....I'm 64, gimped /burned out, & he's talking another 7 years before we "retire for good".
......perhaps it's time to go buy something expensive. Or new socks.
